Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

About 4 of my 12 regular rotation scents: Chamade, First, 24 Faubourg, and Vent Vert - have been reformulated into chemical oblivion. Those of you who have been wearing perfume for 15-20 years know what I'm talking about.

I have spent literally hours tracking down a few (3-4) "older" bottles of First and 24 Faubourg and I was just about to start on VV and Chamade, when I thought, "you know what....I need to just let it go....those beautiful scents are in the past and I need to move forward".

So, I give up. No longer am I going to keep my fingers crossed that some little hokey perfume shop in some small town actually has the "good" formulation. I'm done. I'm moving on. Despite the fact that the depth and sultriness of the newer perfumes is just not the same as what I'm used to, I need to adapt.

I mourn the quality of the old, but need to start appreciating the new. I will embrace the "pink chypres" and will not roll my eyes when that term is used.

Anyone else with me? I may need a support system for the next few months while I venture out into this brave new world and learn to appreciate what much of the world has already accepted. **sigh**

Last edited by tigrushka; 10th December 2007 at 06:09 AM.
Reason: "Members should avoid using 'leet' speak or using 'u' for you etc as this can make posts difficult to read."

Re: NE1 else giving up on "vintage"?

I understand. I only have one vintage bottle in my collection and I am very conservative in using it. I am quite a fan of the timeless, classic feel of the Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier and Parfums de Nicolai lines. If you haven't explored the offerings of these two, you might find something that suits your taste.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

Yes, many of the scents I used to love have been reformulated. I'm not a collector and hate the smell of old scents that have turned from age, though some do last longer than others. I just want fresh new things to wear, so I got over it and moved on. We come at this hobby or passion from different perspectives, experiences and ages. I've only kept one bottle more than ten years and that's Chanel No 5.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

SL, I think there's a big difference between a manic, obsessive hunt for D/C frags on ebay and elsewhere, and leisurely taking advantage of their serendipitous appearance while you are looking for something else. Sounds like you are giving up a version of the former, but taking advantage of the latter might not be a bad idea and kinda fun when it happens. And as noted, there are many wonderful new scents in release and still to be released left to explore, so do have fun going down that avenue, as well as enjoying the un-reformulated scents in your collection and still available for purchase.

*

Please visit SalonAesthetica.com (undergoing redecorating, but still open for business and will be motoring along soon)

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

Quarry and MiaKulpa - "manic hunt" might be overstating the situation just a tad, however, to put things into perspective: I've spent months going through my bloated collection to narrow my true favorites down to a few handfuls. To find out that 1/3 of those don't exist any more is disappointing. You are right in that wonderful new releases will be forthcoming. It is just a little sobering that I need to change my definition of what makes a scent beautiful and appropriate for me - it feels abrupt. It feels more like a compromise and realization than a resolution.

Indiscreet - I have yet to try the new Mitsouko, but I've read many statements such as yours - that most people prefer it.

Beachroses - the energy I've expended tracking some of these bottles down include multiple trips to the mall about 20 minutes away and purchases and returns online and, well, I'm not sure it's worth even that. I'm going to follow your example in that I need to get over it and move on.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

When did they reformulate 24, Faubourg?
I just got a bottle about a year ago. What did it used to smell like?
I am not a vintage junkie, either. I hate that desperate feeling, looking for something that is fast disappearing.
Sometimes it doesn't pay to buy old perfume. It doesn't seem to last as long once one applies it. I still like to smell it to learn how something used to smell, but by and large, many of them have lost their "punch."

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

I fear vintage and discontinued fragrances. I'm the type of person who would decide that the original is vastly superior (because I'm snobby that way, and also I bet they really are superior) and then obsess about getting it. And then all my classic frags would have to be vintage, and then I'd obsess on getting all of them, and so it goes!

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

I have 80 bottles of perfume, probably 2/3s of them vintage. I never lust after vintages, however. I take them where I find them. When I finish a bottle, which is often, there's always some other new/old bottle on the horizon.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

l realised when posting on the thread "lf you could only own 10", that 9 out of my 10 "must keep" fragrances were launched since 2000. The only exception is Samsara, of which l prefer the current formulation to the vintage. This shows me that it is still possible to find beauty in more recent releases, especially among niche lines like Frederic Malle & Montale.

l have dabbled in hunting down vintage versions of fragrances like Diorissimo, Magie Noire, Narcisse Noir & Shalimar, with mixed results. There is no doubt that these older versions were better in their time, but they haven't always been kept that well, & they can be crazily expensive. l wouldn't say l've given up altogether, but l don't go chasing after vintages anymore. My heart & my credit card are happier that way. lf l won the lottery, on the other hand...

​​"What is this secret connection between the soul, and sea, clouds and perfumes? The soul itself appears to be sea, cloud and perfume..." - from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

I have just ventured into the realm of feminine fragrances and have tried to stick to finding the vintage frags that work for me and have been lucky so far, but it is time and money consuming when I should just ask for advice on the new formulas and how they would work for a man instead. I have been afraid of getting sucker punched by a bad bottle that I paid a fortune for when I should just lament the past and move forward, but I know that's not going to happen. If I can get a decent version of the vintage frag I will because I want to know for myself what it used to smell like. Then maybe I can let go and move forward and say "I remember when"!

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

Not given up but tried to find newer or current scents which are close to vintages. Proper Miss Dior is being replaced with Ubar although I do have a couple of part bottles of Miss Dior still in good nick. Femme is gone but SL Arabie is a great replacement.

Poison HAS to be vintage the current version is just too polite to pass muster. Dune is okish in current but lacks the longevity and depth of the original. Opium again HAS to be vintage, the current is simply too harsh.

Some, like Diorissimo, are gone forever but I'm glad I know how they smelt.

What I do miss is lots of green depth brought by oakmoss and the astringent buzz of sharp green citrus which has gone the same way.

My tastes have also changed over time. Whilst I wore largely green and citrus chypres or Poison when younger, Dune was my gateway into Ambers and Opium into orientals. Since discovering them I find I like many genres. I do find most mainstream releases samey and fruichoulis arent my bag but I always try them, you never know when a treasure may be unearthed.

I'll never give up on vintage. I have hundreds of bottles,
about half of them are vintage. I could get rid of most of
my modern bottles, but not my vintage ones. I love them.
I not only like to smell them, but I like to just look at them,
too. They are so beautiful, well, most of them anyway.
I have close to zero interest in modern releases and niche.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

I have a couple of now discontinued scents from Nina Ricci simply because I bought them just before they were discontinued. I guess they count as vintage now... I don't even dare using them which is silly as they will ultimately turn bad. Anyway, no I am not chasing discontinued or reformulated versions. I lack inclination, time and money. I personally think it is better to let go. I will try to enjoy what I have and go with the flow.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

I feel you. I try to avoid even trying anything vintage or discontinued or too hard to find. I have a knack for picking out scents that get discontinued. My only comfort is that I own so many scents I will unlikely ever use up a whole bottle since I rotate everyday.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

So I am slowly ambling down the 3rd of way too many long aisles of antiques in a gigantic antique mall when my eyes fall upon a tray made up of many little segments covered in fake velvet that may have once belonged as part of a larger jewelry box. But the tray is not so much what caught my eye as did all of the little bottles resting in all of those little cushioned velvet segments. My spine actually tingled a little bit!

After much decision I came away with a miniature bottle of L'air du Temps. It smells divine even though the juice is very dark. The bottle shape reminds me of the older bottles of L'air du Temps I owned many years ago so I would venture that this is vintage. Correct me if I am wrong, basenoters! But to answer your question seattlelight, I never hunt vintage, but I never turn down the opportunity when it presents itself, as many have suggested before me. Now excuse me please, I have to go dab on some lovely.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

I think it's wonderful to embrace new things. I've just started my exploration of newer perfume houses and niche fragrances. It's great fun. But also I still have a little in my bottle of pre-reformulated Mitsouko, and have not smelled the new stuff yet. I will be sampling it soon. If I don't like it I will scour the globe to find vintage.

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

L'Heure Bleue is the pivot around which my ambivalent feelings circle.

I would say I've let go being a vintage-hound as the handwriting was on the wall for me - too many frustrations, too much money, too much time. Best to focus on what's good in the here and now.

But the reason I gave up L'Heure Bleue is that the new formulation only made me sad - such a teasing, thin, caricature of the original it has become. It sort of taunted me with it's memory of the original, while not allowing you to really go there. I think everyone must have a memory like that which is made worse by a reformulation. I didn't want to beat my head against the L'Heure Bleue wall, so I gave it up.

So my reasons for giving up the chase are fairly ambivalent. I'm both running toward something and away from something. But all in all, it puts me in a better spot to explore the new and wonderful, rather than follow a memory or dream from 20 years ago. It actually makes me feel better to let it go!

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

Originally Posted by Le Grand Duc

I'll never give up on vintage. I have hundreds of bottles,
about half of them are vintage. I could get rid of most of
my modern bottles, but not my vintage ones. I love them.
I not only like to smell them, but I like to just look at them,
too. They are so beautiful, well, most of them anyway.
I have close to zero interest in modern releases and niche.

I'm addicted to the adrenalin kick a good eBay auction gives.

I wonder if Seattlelight kept from buying vintage?

Oh, if something nice happens to be in front of me (Rive Gauche or something like that) I'll get it; however, no, I don't search out vintage. My love of older frags has limited my acceptance of, and has prevented me from even spraying, newer releases. It is good to be open minded about change!! That's what I keep telling myself!!

Re: Anyone else giving up on "vintage"?

I was a supreme skeptic about vintage a couple of years ago when I first discovered my love of perfumes. However, once bitten, the vintage bug is more lethal than the tse tse fly

I find it so exciting when I become acquainted with a big name of the past and lo and behold, I have a supremely beautiful, eminently wearable treasure that came from the 1920s or 30s. I have to agree, it is all a big lottery, buying vintage perfumes. I have only had two disappointments - a tiny Fidji mini and a small Madame Rochas. But I think I work very hard at getting relatively good examples and pay the premium prices these things command. So, I agree, it's an expensive hobby and for those of limited means, many things are totally out of reach. (Mitsouko or L'Heure Bleue vintage pure parfum, for example or the rarer Guerlains which command ridiculous prices)

What is there in the world of the distant past, apart from jewellery, that can fit so happily and easily into the modern world?

I have laughingly told a friend that I must be in the throes of some mid-life crises (late-life crisis?) but being female, at least it doesn't mean riding a Harley or hankering after an old Ford just like the one 'Pa' used to drive.

For me the quest goes on. Today I acquired vintage L'Origan and 1000 EDT, yesterday it was Moment Supreme pure parfum and Bal a Versailles. Last week, my dearest husband agreed to buy four Ma Collection bottles - Normandie, Chaldee, Divine Folie and Adieu Sagasse. Today I am sampling a bottle of pristine Que sais-je? It's all such a buzz. I can't think of anything else (I'm sure you all can, though) that is so much fun.

I suspect I'm trying madly to catch what I missed during my rather poverty-stricken youth. I've always loved the beaufiful things of the past and am a jewellery junkie too. So while the lust and money last, I will continue to career along that long road that is vintage perfume collecting.

Each time I get a bottle of pristine perfume which was stuck in some dark corner of a rich woman's wardrobe, I am grateful. It will have a proper life, be loved and used, and I will have one more rich and wonderful experience.